TWO former Royal Marines will spend five days travelling around Devon — including Yelverton, Tavistock and Okehampton — to drum up support for SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.

Clive Richards and Keith Christopher, former comrades, will tour the county in a 42-year-old, soft-top Land Rover with the aim of recruiting men and women to join up to help Devon’s veterans.

Just over 200 years ago, if an army regiment was short of volunteers, recruiting parties were sent to towns and villages where they would bang on a drum to gain attention, then liberally distribute gin and the ‘King’s shilling’ to eager young men who were prepared to ‘join up’. 

Fast forward to the present day and this tactic is being resurrected by SSAFA as it says it is in desperate need of volunteers. 

Retired Royal Marine Commando Clive Richards (pictured right) and retired Royal Marine Commando Keith Christopher, both in their 60s, will travel between December 3 and December 7.

Clive said: ‘We have a drum, a war chest of shillings, (5p in today’s money) and miniature bottles of gin which have been generously provided by Findlay Wines of Budleigh Salterton to hand out to people who are willing to give up some of their time to this very worthy cause.’

Keith added: ‘Clive and I first served together when this Land Rover was made back in the Queen’s Silver Jubilee year of 1977. It’s great to be back working together again. We are confident that our Land Rover will stand up to the task — it’s our bodies I’m worried about!’

The intrepid pair reunited after 42 years through their work for SSAFA. They will be self-sufficient during the tour, living on rations and sleeping in bivouacs — a temporary camp — whatever the weather.

‘The trip was originally planned for the warmer month of May, but we can’t wait till the spring to do this’ said Clive, ‘we need the volunteers now — there is no time to lose.’

lThe pair will be in Yelverton car park, by Co-op, from 2pm to 3pm on Wednesday, December 4; Tavistock Museum, Tavistock Guildhall car park, from 10am to 11am on Thursday, December 5; Okehampton Co-op supermarket car park from 2pm to 3pm on Tuesday, December 5.

For the route and timings of their tour, visit JustGiving.com and search for Clive Richards.